1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic device, and particularly to an electronic device loading a fuel cell.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, portable electronic devices such as a cell phone, a digital camera, a notebook-type personal computer, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance), an electronic organizer, a watch, a portable-type music player and the like are achieving remarkable progress and development.
In order to accommodate the increase of the electric power consumption in such electronic devices, it is suggested to use a fuel cell for the power source unit. Therefore, downsizing, cost reduction and the like of the fuel cell are broadly studied and developed.
The fuel cell has a power generating cell to take out electricity due to the electrochemical reaction of hydrogen in the fuel and oxygen in the air, and simple hydrogen is suggested as a fuel used for the fuel cell. However, handling and storage of simple hydrogen is difficult because it is gas at normal temperature. A reform-type fuel cell which is provided with a chemical reaction unit having a reformer or the like to generate gas including hydrogen by reforming the fuel due to the reforming reaction and which generates the hydrogen gas by reforming the liquid fuel such as alcohol or gasoline and provide the generated hydrogen gas to the power generating cell, and a direct methanol type fuel cell which supplies the liquid fuel and air directly to the power generating cell are being studied and developed. Further, the electronic device loading such fuel cells are being developed.
The power source unit of the electronic device loading the fuel cell which uses the above described fuel cell comprises a fuel container filled with liquid fuel and a fuel cell body unit including the power generating cell, the chemical reaction unit and the like, and is structured so that the liquid fuel is supplied to the fuel cell body unit from the fuel container and that power is generated in the fuel cell body unit. Further, conventionally, the fuel cell body unit is structured so as to be fixedly provided in the electronic device, and only the fuel container is structured so as to be exchangeable in many cases. In such case, the electronic device can be continuously used by exchanging the fuel container when the liquid fuel which is filled in the fuel container is used up due to the power generating operation of the fuel cell. However, at the time of maintenance or breakdown of the power generating cell or the chemical reaction unit which are provided at the fuel cell body unit, the case of the electronic device is opened, for example, and an operation needs to be carried out for the fuel cell body unit. This operation was causing a great trouble.